» Short Filmshttp://www.pakium.com Pakistan\'s #1 Music & Media Blog updated with Latest Pakistani Songs, Music Videos, Music reviews, Celebrity Gossips & Concerts Pictures.Sun, 02 Aug 2015 19:21:56 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Imran Abbas’s Abdullah to be screened at the Cannes Film Festivalhttp://www.pakium.com/2015/05/12/imran-abbas-abdullah-to-be-screened-at-the-cannes-film-festival http://www.pakium.com/2015/05/12/imran-abbas-abdullah-to-be-screened-at-the-cannes-film-festival#commentsTue, 12 May 2015 10:59:21 +0000http://www.pakium.com/?p=78074‘Abdullah: The Final Witness’ written and directed and produced by Fiction writer & novelist from Balochistan Hashim Nadeem, author of the novel and TV drama ‘Khdha aur Muhabbat’ which starred Imran Abbas Naqvi and Saadia Khan has also been shortlisted to be screened at the 68th annual Cannes Film Festival. Hashim Nadeem, has written over 27 tele-films and 11 drama serials and has garnered […]

‘Abdullah: The Final Witness’ written and directed and produced by Fiction writer & novelist from Balochistan Hashim Nadeem, author of the novel and TV drama ‘Khdha aur Muhabbat’ which starred Imran Abbas Naqvi and Saadia Khanhas also been shortlisted to be screened at the 68th annual Cannes Film Festival. Hashim Nadeem, has written over 27 tele-films and 11 drama serials and has garnered international acclaim for his novels”Khuda aur Mohabbat’ and ‘’Bachpan ka December’

After the momentous news that two short films will be representing Pakistan at the prestigious Festival de Cannes 2015, Abdullah is the third entry included into the festival mix.

‘Abdullah: The Final Witness’ stars Hameed Sheikh, Sajid Hasan, Imran Abbas Naqvi andSaadia Khan and is based on an incident which took place in Quetta May 17, 2011.

The incident, known as ‘Kharotabad’ involved the killing of five Russian and Tajik citizens, both men and women, at the Kharotabad check post by Frontier Constabulary (FC) who claimed the five were terrorists. The incident was filmed by a journalist and footage was aired on Media channels who reported that the five victims were innocent citizens. The Chief Justice of Pakistan at that time took sou motto notice of this incident, and a commission was asked to prepare the ‘Kharotabad Inquiry Report’, the findings of which have never been made public with the case remaining unresolved. A key witness of the killings was murdered in Quetta in December 2011.

One of the main leads of ‘Abdullah: The Final Witness’ Imran Abbas Naqvi is slated to represent the film and attend the Festival de Cannes 2015, which is scheduled to be held from 13 to 24 May 2015 in France. Abdullah is the only feature length film to make it to Cannes, as the other two films are in the short film category.

]]>http://www.pakium.com/2015/05/12/imran-abbas-abdullah-to-be-screened-at-the-cannes-film-festival/feed/0Pakistan’s Burka Avenger launching in India on Zee Networkhttp://www.pakium.com/2015/04/14/pakistans-burka-avenger-launching-in-india-on-zee-network http://www.pakium.com/2015/04/14/pakistans-burka-avenger-launching-in-india-on-zee-network#commentsTue, 14 Apr 2015 13:21:58 +0000http://www.pakium.com/?p=77394The Emmy nominated and multi-award winning Pakistani animated TV series Burka Avenger, is set to launch in India on Zee Network this April. The episodes have been specially dubbed in 4 languages for India including Hindi, English, Tamil and Telagu. Speaking about the launch in India, Deputy Business Head of ZeeQ, Aparna Bhosle said: “Burka […]

The Emmy nominated and multi-award winning Pakistani animated TV series Burka Avenger, is set to launch in India on Zee Network this April. The episodes have been specially dubbed in 4 languages for India including Hindi, English, Tamil and Telagu.

Speaking about the launch in India, Deputy Business Head of ZeeQ, Aparna Bhosle said: “Burka Avenger is an amazing show; both in terms of quality of animation as well as storytelling. We are always on the lookout for shows with themes that are relevant to Indian children and we are very fortunate that we have this show. Each episode has a positive message with fun, action and comedy so that it does not come across as preachy. Burka Avenger has won many prestigious awards worldwide and it will be our honor to showcase it in India.”

Burka Avenger is an action-comedy animated TV Series that follows the adventures of Burka Avenger and three young kids in the imaginary city of Halwapur as they fight the evil Baba Bandook and his henchmen. Burka Avenger Season 1 and 2 is currently airing on Nickelodeon Pakistan daily at 4:30 pm and 7:30 pm.

Season 1 of the series has also been launched in Afghanistan where it is immensely popular with Season 2 set to launch there soon.

Burka Avenger is Pakistan’s first ever full length animated TV series. The series features Jiya as the inspirational school teacher and her alter ego, the super-heroine Burka Avenger. Her use of books and pens as projectile weapons is symbolic on many levels. The Burka Avenger fights for Justice, Peace and Education for all. With its positive messages of women empowerment, gender equity and importance of education particularly for young girls, Burka Avenger has the potential to be a positive role model for children worldwide.

The series launched in 2013 and instantly shot to worldwide fame. No other TV or film production in the history of Pakistan has gained as much international fame and recognition. Time Magazine named Burka Avenger as one of the most influential characters of 2013. The series has been produced by Unicorn Black in Islamabad, Pakistan. The company is set to launch Season 3 soon along with original Burka Avenger merchandise.

Creator and Director of the Burka Avenger series, Haroon said: “I am very excited to have Burka Avenger launch in India with the Zee Network on ZeeQ. The fact that Burka Avenger is being dubbed into a variety of Indian languages is a testament to the high production quality and great story telling of the show. We are rolling out a worldwide launch for the Burka Avenger series this year so it is fantastic that one of the first territories is India where we are able to reach such a large audience. Bollywood movies and Indian music are loved here in Pakistan so it is wonderful to have our Pakistani produced series being appreciated in India.”

The TV series will air in India every Monday to Thursday at 4:00 pm on ZeeQ, Zee Network’s children’s channel from April 13, 2015. Burka Avenger is the lead show in the channel’s mega action band.

Major awards and accolades won by the show include the following:

Peabody Award Winner

Int’l Emmy Nomination

International Gender Equity Prize at Prix Jeunesse, Munich

Asian Media Awards: Best TV Show

Canada International Film Festival: Rising Star Award

Award of Merit – Accolades Global Film Competition

Best Animation (Int’l) – LUMS Int’l Film Festival

Time Magazine: “One of the most Influential Fictional Characters of 2013”

]]>http://www.pakium.com/2015/04/14/pakistans-burka-avenger-launching-in-india-on-zee-network/feed/0Pakistani short film “Baat Cheet” selected for Cannes Film Festivalhttp://www.pakium.com/2015/04/08/pakistani-short-film-baat-cheet-selected-for-cannes-film-festival http://www.pakium.com/2015/04/08/pakistani-short-film-baat-cheet-selected-for-cannes-film-festival#commentsTue, 07 Apr 2015 22:13:58 +0000http://www.pakium.com/?p=76867 Pakistani short film ‘Baat Cheet’ has been invited to participate in the Short Film Corner at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. The short film is written, produced and directed by Rayika Choudri and stars Sarwat Gilani and Joshinder Chaggar in the leading roles. To represent their film at the festival, Rayika […]

Pakistani short film ‘Baat Cheet’ has been invited to participate in the Short Film Corner at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. The short film is written, produced and directed by Rayika Choudri and stars Sarwat Gilani and Joshinder Chaggar in the leading roles.

To represent their film at the festival, Rayika Choudri and the assistant director, Misha Rezvi – an Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker -will fly to France.

Earlier, Baat Cheet has also won three gold awards at the Documentary and Short International Movie Awards 2015 (Indonesia) in directing, newcomer and international short film categories.

The 68th annual Cannes Film Festival is scheduled to be held from 13 to 24 May 2015 in France.

]]>http://www.pakium.com/2015/04/08/pakistani-short-film-baat-cheet-selected-for-cannes-film-festival/feed/0Song of Lahore selected for prestigious Tribeca Film Festival 2015http://www.pakium.com/2015/03/05/song-of-lahore-selected-for-prestigious-tribeca-film-festival-2015 http://www.pakium.com/2015/03/05/song-of-lahore-selected-for-prestigious-tribeca-film-festival-2015#commentsThu, 05 Mar 2015 10:35:08 +0000http://www.pakium.com/?p=75806“Song of Lahore”, a documentary by Oscar winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Andy Schocken on the acclaimed Sachal Studios and their journey across the world, has been selected for the World Documentary Feature Competition at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. Song of Lahore is one of 12 international documentaries and the only Pakistani entry which […]

“Song of Lahore”, a documentary by Oscar winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Andy Schocken on the acclaimed Sachal Studios and their journey across the world, has been selected for the World Documentary Feature Competition at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. Song of Lahore is one of 12 international documentaries and the only Pakistani entry which has been selected for the prize and will be in contention for the following awards: Best Documentary Feature, Best New Documentary Director and Best Documentary Editing at the acclaimed film festival.

“Song of Lahore” is a documentary which focuses on the music community of Lahore, which until the late 1970s, was world-renowned for its music and talent. In 2004, Izzat Majeed founded Sachal Studios to create a space for traditional music in a nation that had rejected its musical roots. After convincing a number of master musicians to pick up their instruments again, they quietly released some classical and folk albums, but an experimental album fusing jazz and South Asian instruments brought Sachal Studios worldwide acclaim. “Song of Lahore” turns the spotlight on Sachal Studios and charters the ensemble’s journey to reclaim and reinvigorate an art that has lost its space in Pakistan’s narrowing cultural sphere.

The twelve films of 2015’s World Documentary Competition represent the year’s highest achievements in nonfiction storytelling. The submitted entries showcase investigations of the most important issues of our time, as well as deeply personal real-life stories sure to open a wider perspective on the human condition.

The Tribeca Film Festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2001, following the attacks on the World Trade Center, to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of the lower Manhattan district through an annual celebration of film, music, and culture. The Festival brings the industry and community together around storytelling helps filmmakers reach the broadest possible audience, enabling the international film community and general public to experience the power of cinema and promote New York City as a major filmmaking center The Tribeca Film Festival has screened more than 1,600 films from more than 80 countries since its first edition in 2002. The 14th annual Tribeca Film Festival will take place from April 15 – 26, 2015 at locations throughout downtown Manhattan.

]]>http://www.pakium.com/2015/03/05/song-of-lahore-selected-for-prestigious-tribeca-film-festival-2015/feed/0Pakistani short movie Defenders won best documentary award in Rome Film Festivalhttp://www.pakium.com/2014/11/17/pakistan-defenders-won-best-documentary-award-rome http://www.pakium.com/2014/11/17/pakistan-defenders-won-best-documentary-award-rome#commentsMon, 17 Nov 2014 12:01:33 +0000http://www.pakium.com/?p=73444Pakistan’s short movie Defenders won best documentary award in Rome Film Festival, announced the Inter Services Public Relation (ISPR) chief Maj. Gen Asim Bajwa on his official Twitter account. The ISPR’s creative team – Col Salahuddin, Maj Hassan Miraj and Maj Imran Raza – which produced the award winning documentary, was present at Rome Film […]

]]>Pakistan’s short movie Defenders won best documentary award in Rome Film Festival, announced the Inter Services Public Relation (ISPR) chief Maj. Gen Asim Bajwa on his official Twitter account.

The ISPR’s creative team – Col Salahuddin, Maj Hassan Miraj and Maj Imran Raza – which produced the award winning documentary, was present at Rome Film Festival to receive their award. The ISPR’s chief praised the team and tweeted that “ISPR short film ‘Defender’ wins best Documentary Award in its category at Rome Film Festival. Complements entire creative team. Proud moment”

The short documentary is a tribute to arm forces of Pakistan – Army, Air Force and Navy – who have been fighting to eradicate terrorism from the country, specially during the recently started Operation Zarb-e-Azb. The documentary gives strong message of unity.

]]>http://www.pakium.com/2014/11/17/pakistan-defenders-won-best-documentary-award-rome/feed/0Heroes of Pakistan – 2013 Short Film Competitionhttp://www.pakium.com/2013/10/06/heroes-pakistan-2013-short-film-competition http://www.pakium.com/2013/10/06/heroes-pakistan-2013-short-film-competition#commentsSun, 06 Oct 2013 12:53:59 +0000http://www.pakium.com/?p=61865“New generation, against the traditions, is working effectively on fresh ideas and their work must be brought to view,” this was stated by Abbas Hashmi in an interview, who earlier announced a short film competition “Heroes of Pakistan” during the last week of August. “Heroes of Pakistan” is initiated by SoundView, a prominent broadcasting company […]

]]>“New generation, against the traditions, is working effectively on fresh ideas and their work must be brought to view,” this was stated by Abbas Hashmi in an interview, who earlier announced a short film competition “Heroes of Pakistan” during the last week of August.

“Heroes of Pakistan” is initiated by SoundView, a prominent broadcasting company in America that distributes Pakistani and international channels there, and Green Card Capital, an investment company, Abbas Hashmi is the Chief Operating Officer of. This is the first ever edition of the competition. It has invited entries of short films of 1-5 minute duration. Competition is opened since 1st September, 2013 and the submission deadline is 31st October. Film makers of 18 and above age from all over Pakistan can participate in it by getting information from www.greencardcapital.com. They have also given a Film Contest Promo Video for having an idea what kind of films can be made for the competition along with rules and regulations. The competition theme is “No Pain, No Gain”.

The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes are 1000 $, 500 %, and 250 $ respectively along with opportunity of production, and internship in the leading international channels run by SoundView in America.

“We usually find a hero in sports or showbiz but anyone around can be a hero if he/she has inspired us in one way or the other”, said Abbas Hashmi, talking to the press conference. Hero is a man/woman who has a deep effect on our life or personality, and can be an ordinary one and we want to attain the same height of character and/or fame, he/she has. Showbiz and sports celebrities are used to be the hero of millions but a friend, family member, acquaintance, mentor etc. is very rare to be someone’s hero. Heroes of Pakistan is actually homage to such unsung and anonymous great personalities.

Film and idea must be original with a solid lesson; in English, Urdu, or any other language (English subtitles will be a plus point); shot on High Definition video format; and suitable for family audience.

Heroes of Pakistan is an innovative idea never given before, providing a podium to youngsters who want to do something. Moreover, the top three lucky winners’ films will be on aired on international TV channels. This is a great motivation for film makers to not only participate in the competition but also work more and more creatively and brilliantly.

Film production, whether a tele – film or feature length, is a game of millions and involves of crew of hundreds which is quite impossible without a huge investment or funding by corporate sector. In these circumstances, short film competition like Heroes of Pakistan is a superb occasion for our aspiring film makers, giving them a chance to showcase their work and fulfilling the desire of film making as well with a small team and low investment.

Let’s see what kind of heroes our film makers bring into view in their own way and who are going to win the competition to become the real hero!

]]>http://www.pakium.com/2013/10/06/heroes-pakistan-2013-short-film-competition/feed/0Pakistan Can Win Another Oscar!http://www.pakium.com/2013/08/23/pakistan-may-win-another-oscar http://www.pakium.com/2013/08/23/pakistan-may-win-another-oscar#commentsFri, 23 Aug 2013 09:51:17 +0000http://www.pakium.com/?p=60392By Rizwanaa Shaikh It took Pakistan a period of half century to submit an entry in the world’s biggest film award, The Oscar. Now, Pakistan is going to participate in foreign language film category for 2014 Oscar. A selection committee has been formed for receiving and analyzing the entries submitted by Pakistani film makers. This […]

It took Pakistan a period of half century to submit an entry in the world’s biggest film award, The Oscar. Now, Pakistan is going to participate in foreign language film category for 2014 Oscar.

A selection committee has been formed for receiving and analyzing the entries submitted by Pakistani film makers. This committee is being headed by the first ever and sole Pakistani Oscar winning documentary maker, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy. Mohsin Hamid (writer of the Pakistani best seller “The Reluctant Fundamentalist”), Samina Peerzada, Rahat Kazmi, Mehreen Jabbar (Ramchand Pakistani), Akifa Mian (Inaam), and Framji Minwalla (film critic and Head of Media Sciences Department, SZABIST Karachi Campus.). The deadline for submitting a film to the selection committee is 25th Aug and the committee will submit the entry for Oscar by 1st October, 2013.

After a long unsuccessful period of cinema, Pakistan has finally managed to make some good movies during the last six years. Our film makers like Shoaib Mansoor, Mehreen Jabbar, Shahzad Rafique, Reema Khan, Sayyad Faisal Bukhari, Shahzad Nawaz and especially the debutants and youngsters have produced quality art work.

This year, Siyaah, Chambaili, Ishq Khuda, and Josh are out while Waar, Main Hoon Shahid Afridi, Zinda Bhaag, and some others are going to be released shortly. So we are hopeful to achieve the digit of 10 in 2013.

In past, two films were submitted from Pakistan, “Jago Howa Sawaira” (1959), and “Ghoonghat” (1963) in foreign language category. Jago Howa Sawaira was directed by A. J. Kardar, and written by Faiz Ahmad Faiz, and Ghoonghat was by veteran music director Khawaja Khursheed Anwar who also written, produced, and directed the music of the film. Ghoonghat is one of the most melodious and best musical films ever produced by Pakistan since 1948. These films were no doubt great in many ways but unluckily couldn’t be nominated.

Siyaah, Chambaili, Ishq Khuda, Josh, Zinda Bhaag etc. are suitable for entries as they not only are based on not-done-before subjects but also portray the true and near to real life picture of the society in one way or the other. Except Ishq Khuda, four of the other films are made by new teams, and debutant directors and actors.

Films depicting social issues of a country and natural emotions will surly touch the hearts of audience every where and Oscar judges also. Iranian cinema has adopted the same formula. Their film Children of Heavens (tale of a brother and sister who loose a pair of shoes and struggle hard to compensate it at any cost) nominated for Oscar and The Separation (story of the turmoil of a young couple whose marriage is at stake) won the Oscar 2012 in Foreign Language Category.

Getting only the nomination of Oscar is also considered a big achievement and if any Pakistani film, by the grace of God, succeeds in getting nominated, it would be a huge sustain for the restoration of cinema here and its future. No one knew that Saving Face was going to win the Oscar in 2012, let’s hope for the best this time again and wish Pakistani film to win the global applause!

]]>http://www.pakium.com/2013/08/23/pakistan-may-win-another-oscar/feed/0Watch Jinnah Returns The Short Filmhttp://www.pakium.com/2013/06/26/watch-the-short-film-jinnah-returns http://www.pakium.com/2013/06/26/watch-the-short-film-jinnah-returns#commentsWed, 26 Jun 2013 16:21:44 +0000http://www.pakium.com/?p=58110The short film “Jinnah Returns” is based on a story of Musa Malik, who is shown as a young patriot, running a small NGO, accidentally meets Jinnah who has been covertly living in a guise. Jinnah in the movie has been depicted quite distinctively from his original character. He is shown as a geo economic […]

The short film “Jinnah Returns” is based on a story of Musa Malik, who is shown as a young patriot, running a small NGO, accidentally meets Jinnah who has been covertly living in a guise. Jinnah in the movie has been depicted quite distinctively from his original character. He is shown as a geo economic analyst who has done an exhaustive research on the main reasons that entailed this country to such predicaments. The film delivers diversified messages especially for our youngsters who are yearning to have a Changed Pakistan for themselves. An interesting piece of work, that will deliver powerful message to the new generation.

Source:Department of Islamic ReconstructionJinnah’s Speech On the occasion of the Opening Ceremony of The State Bank of Pakistan on 1st July, 1948

]]>http://www.pakium.com/2013/06/26/watch-the-short-film-jinnah-returns/feed/0Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Wins Pakistan’s First Oscar, Gets the Country’s Highest Civilian Honour on the Same Dayhttp://www.pakium.com/2012/02/27/sharmeen-obaid-chinoy-first-oscar-civilian-honour http://www.pakium.com/2012/02/27/sharmeen-obaid-chinoy-first-oscar-civilian-honour#commentsMon, 27 Feb 2012 16:57:27 +0000http://www.pakium.com/?p=36228Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy not only became the first Pakistani to ever get nominated for the highest filmmaking honour in the world, the Oscars, but she also became the first one to win it for her documentary short film, Saving Face, along with Daniel Junge. PM Gilani has declared a civilian award for her achievement for putting […]

]]>Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy not only became the first Pakistani to ever get nominated for the highest filmmaking honour in the world, the Oscars, but she also became the first one to win it for her documentary short film, Saving Face, along with Daniel Junge. PM Gilani has declared a civilian award for her achievement for putting Pakistan on the face of the Oscars, where the whole world watches and take notice of things. She won an Emmy, America’s highest television honour, for her documentary, Pakistan: Children of the Taliban in 2010

Saving Face is about the acid victims and this is the reason why she dedicated her award to all the hard working women in Pakistan who believe in change. She said:

“Daniel and I want to dedicate this award to all the heroes working on the ground in Pakistan, including Dr. Muhammad Jawad who is here with us today, the plastic surgeon working on rehabilitating all of these women. Rukhsana and Zakiya who are our main subjects of the film, whose resilience and bravery in the face of such adversity is really admirable. And to all the women in Pakistan who are working for change, don’t give up on your dreams. This is for you.”

A lot of the people, both known and unknown went on Twitter to tweet about this great moment for Pakistan and the Pakistani women.

She said during an interview on the Oscars Red Carpet that:

“The women who decided to be a part of the documentary did so because they wanted to make their voices heard and wanted to bring attention to this form of assault. The main reason that they are in ‘Saving Face’ is to make their stories heard and have an impact.”

]]>http://www.pakium.com/2012/02/27/sharmeen-obaid-chinoy-first-oscar-civilian-honour/feed/6Oscar Nominated Short Film Saving Face Documentary by Sharmeenhttp://www.pakium.com/2012/02/17/oscar-nominated-short-film-saving-face-documentary http://www.pakium.com/2012/02/17/oscar-nominated-short-film-saving-face-documentary#commentsFri, 17 Feb 2012 10:18:26 +0000http://www.pakium.com/?p=35379It hasn’t been a while when we first heard that Sharemeen Obaid Chinoy is the first Pakistani Film maker nominated for Oscars. That was a great news but none of us had actually seen, heard or watched anything about “Saving Face“. Recently at Karachi Literature Festival, Chinoy showed some clips of her Short Film on […]

Recently at Karachi Literature Festival, Chinoy showed some clips of her Short Film on request that no camera will cover that. It was disallowed back then but now it seems like the restriction might have been unturned so now finally we have the first teaser/trailer of Saving Face.

About Saving Face (Short Film Documentary)

Chinoy’s Saving Face is nominated under the category of “2012 Academy Award Nominee For Documentary (Short Subject)”. The short film is directed by Oscar and Emmy nominated filmmaker Daniel Junge and Emmy winning Pakistan director Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy.

The documentary highlights the issue that every year in Pakistan, there are at least 100 people attacked with acid – the majority women. Many such cases go unreported most of the time. The new documentary SAVING FACE is the story of two survivors of such attacks — their battle for justice and their journey of healing.